Saturday, July 20- A slightly cooler day also brought a considerably larger crowd to Union Park, with seapunks frolicking amongst bros and masses of sweaty bodies sticking together like flypaper. But hey, at least the music rocked.

Early afternoon began on a high note with White Lung, a Canadian punk rock band led by platinum blonde vocalist Mish Way. Although she lacked the blistering ferocity of say, Savages' Jehnny Beth (I'll get to her later), Way still managed to hold her own, spouting agressive feminist diatribes over her bandmates' brash and melodic wall of sound.

Pennsylvania noise rockers Pissed Jeans came next, with front man Matt Korvette wasting no time in lavishing his audience with plenty of sarcastic banter and shirt-ripping.

Friday, July 19- I spent most of the first hot and humid day at Pitchfork by the Blue Stage, chugging bottled water and hoping that I'd packed enough sunscreen to protect my delicate Irish skin from irreparable damage. Spoiler alert: I survived unscathed.

First up, Frankie Rose. The former member of Vivian Girls, Crystal Stilts and Dum Dum Girls played many songs from her new solo album Interstellar, commanding the stagewith a sweet, vivacious energy that instantly made me want to be her best friend. "Hey, Pitchforkers!" she shouted with glee, "It sounds so dirty when I say that." Her set wasn't exceptional, but her personality sure was.

The hardcore revivalist band Trash Talk came next, setting fire to what had previously been a more sleepy and subdued 4 p.m. crowd. Lead vocalist Lee Spielman incited a mosh by the second song; and by the third, he was crowdsurfing.

This year's Pitchfork Music Festival kicks off tomorrow, meaning your chance to see your favorite indie artists perform in the flesh is just around the grassy, sun-drenched corner.

But before you allow thoughts of the Breeders playing "Last Splash" or Björk wearing Koosh ball headgear to completely occupy your mind for the next three days, remember that personal safety, sanity and some serious festival prep should always come first.

Whether this is your debut venture, or what seems the billionth time you have attended the annual hipster mecca in Chicago's Union Park, here's what you need to know:

Drink water.

With temperatures expected to peak at 80 and 90 degrees this weekend, remember that H2O is your friend.

2012 ended on a five-year low for female roles at the movies, with box office blockbusters dominated yet again by hunky male superheroes and women as mostly eye candy on the side.

The simple truth is that Hollywood films rarely feature a women in a starring role—i.e. not just as a love interest for the male lead, but as a genuinely complex and multi-faceted character who is at the center of her own story.

Thankfully,an exciting new work from Chicago-based writer/director Scott K.